Hip-Hop & Bullshit: Pharoahe Monch @ Sputniks

Last night, Pharoahe Monch commemorated the 10 year anniversary of the release of his first solo album "Internal Affairs". The show was at Sputnik in Brooklyn, NY. Sputnik has a small basement where they hold shows. When I say small, I mean small. There's a warning sign on the wall stating that the maximum capacity of the room is 97 persons. When I say they packed in roughly 300 people into the basement, I am not exaggerating. It was hotter than Rosa Acosta sun-bathing on a nude beach in Santorini. Last night was freezing outside and everyone was wearing winter coats, but guess what??? NO COAT CHECK. So picture everyone wearing their coats, shoulder to shoulder in the hottest, most over-crowded room you could imagine. It was very uncomfortable to say the least. I gotta tell you though, once the show started, nobody cared how hot it was because PHAROAHE MONCH TORE SPUTNIK THE FUCK DOWN LAST NIGHT.

The show started off with DJ J. Period gettin' the crowd warmed up displaying his mixing skills live for the crowd. J. Period has won a ton of awards since 2003 (including several mixtape DJ of the year awards, "Free Up Your Mix" champion, Mixtape of the Year in 2006 and top ten Mixtapes of the year in 2005 and 2007). J. Period definitely did his job getting the crowd amped for Pharoahe Monch's arrival playing various Biggie, NaS and Jay-Z blends he put together. The crowd really started to bounce when he whipped out his Wu-Tang library and rocked "Protect Ya Neck", "M.E.T.H.O.D. M.A.N." and "Ooh Baby I Like It Raw". There was an electric buzz throughout the crowd, which consisted of your ordinary thugged-out Brooklyn dudes, several fine Erikah Badu type shorties, a couple of gay hipster white boys, and these two Asian guys that were dancing like Carlton Banks all fucking night. It was a wild group of people, but they were all hyped for the arrival of Pharoahe Monch.

Pharoahe finally arrived and his DJ was the legendary "Boogie Blind" from the world famous X-Ecutioners DJ Crew. Also in attendance was DJ Scratch (EPMD) and DJ Evil Dee (Boot Camp Clik) Marco Polo, Torae, and Poison Pen. Pharoahe Monch hit the stage with enough energy to blow every converter box in Brooklyn. You could just tell how proud he still is of his "Internal Affairs" album. His voice projected so clearly and loudly, it was like his mic was a bull horn. I can't hear shit right now and my Colombian amigo, Hans, woke up with blood on his pillow from his murdered ear drums.

Pharoahe blasted through classic tracks like "Behind Closed Doors", "Queens", "Rape", "No Mercy", "The Light" and "Right Here". Boogie Blind then asked Pharoahe to flip the script and blaze some Organized Konfusion shit. The crowd went nuts when Pharoahe performed "Stray Bullet" from Organized Konfusion's arguably classic album "Stress: The Extinction Agenda". His flow was impeccable on this gritty, underground, dark beat. He just waived his hand like an Orchestra Conductor while his rhymes bounced off the walls like the "Stray Bullets" he was rhyming about. I've been to over a hundred live hip-hop shows and am not usually impressed, but Pharoahe Monch had me in awe with every line he spit. His dart game is in it's prime despite being in the game for 20 years now.

Pharoahe's performance got even better when he brought his back-up singers, MeLa Machinko and Showtyme out to help him perform "Oh No!!!" and "The Life (featuring Styles P)". Showtyme actually stole the show from Pharoahe at this point, sweating drastically as the veins popped out of his forehead while he sang the chorus to "The Life".

And then, the moment everyone was waiting for finally arrived. Monch told the little white girls standing in the front row that they may want to re-think their positions in the crowd at this point. He warned them that they might get hurt. He then turned his back to the crowd and yelled "GET THE FUCK UP!!! SIMON SAYS, GET THE FUCK UP!!!!" Needless to say, the crowd lost their shit. Mutha fuckas were jumping so high they were breaking the ceiling fans above us. Bitches were rubbing their titties and fellas were pumpin' their fists like they had guns in their palms.

At the end f the night, I left the club with my boy feeling like I was hit by a fuckin' Mack Truck. We were sweating profusely and couldn't hear anything other than a constant ringing sound in our ears. None of that shit mattered though, because for the three hours we were chillin' at Sputniks, real hip-hop was alive and well. All the boroughs were reppin' to the fullest. "Uptown, WHAT! Brid-onx, WHAT! Long Isle, WHAT! Strong Isle, WHAT! BROOOOKKKLLLYYYYYNNNN!!! BO, BO, BO, BO, BO!!! Yo where the fuck is Queens? Where the fuck is Queens? RIGHT HERE!!! Where's Hip-Hop??? RIGHT HERE!!!! Where's Hip-Hop??? RIGHT HERE!!!!"

Yes Pharoahe, hip-hop was RIGHT THERE last night. Salute to you for 20 years strong. Queens, represent.